Flat or loose fan?

[StereoTypicalHarley]

I am new to dancing in general, soi please excuse my ignorance.

can anyone tell me the difference between a loose fan and a flat fan? i am making a fan out of the end section of an owl wing, the part after the joint in the middle of the wing, i am leaving everything intact, bone, skin and all, i am drying it out. are owl feathers acceptable? and what category of fan would this fall in?

[OLChemist]

Loose fans are fan with the feather bases in leather "sleeves" that let the feathers drop into sort of a circle over the handle. Flat fans have the feathers attached to a roughly Y-shapped handle that holds the feathers into to a flat solid row -- like the bird's tail. A wing fan is made from the wing of the bird and keeps the original wing shape.

I'd take some tobacco to an elder and have a long talk with them about the owl feathers. A lot of people don't think their power should be brought into the arena.

[StereoTypicalHarley]

What is your opinion? And what is your reasoning for it?

[OLChemist]

Since you are young and new to all this, let me explain a piece of "Indian code," LOL. When someone tells you to talk to an elder, it almost always is a warning that you are getting into an area which deals with sacred and/or restricted knowledge. When someone tells you this, it means that for whatever reason they will not answer at this time, place, etc...

Until you can get someone from your nation to answer these questions, prehaps you should consider a macaw feather fan. They are very pretty and are perfectly good fans. Once you have had time to learn things then you can get a new fan.

[StereoTypicalHarley]

ok, i understand. 2 more questions though, if i am not in the arena, is it ok to use an owl wing fan for smudging?

[powwowbum49]

What Chemist is trying to tell you ever so politely is that every nation has different beliefs about various birds and what their parts can be used for. You need to talk to someone from your nation to get answers to those questions.

She is also trying to tell you that to some nations owls are not used anywhere near the arena and since powwows are intertribal with folks from many nations present it is only polite not to use things there that would make others uncomfortable to be around. If you do choose to use them there, do not be surprised if there are people that avoid you completely ... whether the feathers are present or not.

[StereoTypicalHarley]

ok, i understand. well on monday i talked with my aunt who is lakota, and my uncle who is cherokee, they both told me the same thing, so i buried everything with sage cedar and tobacco and sent him on his way, thanks for the info guys.

[Rolling Thunder]

I am new to dancing in general, soi please excuse my ignorance.

can anyone tell me the difference between a loose fan and a flat fan? i am making a fan out of the end section of an owl wing, the part after the joint in the middle of the wing, i am leaving everything intact, bone, skin and all, i am drying it out. are owl feathers acceptable? and what category of fan would this fall in?

Look up the fans on trading companies sites. The fan you were making was a wing fan. check www.crazycrow.com for the looks of a flat fan and a loose fan.